NEXT STEPS
Preached 26 September 2004
Naylor UMC

I. Tired
Turn in Bibles to Psalm 46 -- verse 10: "Be still and know that I am God"
I am tired. It has been a busy few weeks. First preparing for Charge Conference and getting together all the forms and having all the meetings and trying to get everything entered into the computer.
And then we had homecoming and revival, and it took a lot of time to prepare for that. I made flyers and called people and spent a lot of time getting prepared.
To top it all off, we are at the end of our fiscal year at Moody AFB, and we are being inundated with a lot of projects because of the end of the year and because of delays associated with the hurricanes. And I've spent several days working in Kim's new business trying to help her build fences and sink fenceposts and create barriers and do any number of other things. So, it has finally just caught up with me.
When I got home yesterday evening, Kim started preparing supper while all I could do was just sit down. I told her I had "heart dropsy" -- I had dropped and didn't have the heart to get back up. I am tired.
So, when God led me to this verse, I just knew it was a blessing from God. Yes, God, I thought, that is just what I need. Be still. Enter into my rest. Take some time and refresh your body and your mind. God, you are so good. You knew I needed to rest and to be still.
But God said, that's not what I'm talking about. You need to look at what I'm telling you in the context of the whole passage. So I went back and looked up Psalm 46 and read it and studied it in context, and I think God was giving me a different meaning for verse 10. Yes, it does mean to be still, to enter God's rest, to just seek refuge in His presence, but it also has a different meaning that you can see if you read the whole passage. Look now with me at verse 1 in Psalm 46 and we will go through this together as I show you what God showed me. As we go through this, keep in mind verse 10, because it is the key verse, the climax verse, of the passage.

II. Scripture
Psalm 46
1. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. [This verse fits with our normal understanding of "be still." It means that we can seek refuge in God, rest in His presence. He is our strength and our help in times of trouble, and we can seek sanctuary with Him. Think of all the hurricane evacuees that have been coming into our area. What do we call them? Refugees. People seeking refuge from the storm. God is telling us here to seek refuge in Him. Be still -- seek refuge -- and know that I am God.]
2. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3. though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
[When we seek refuge in God, when we trust in His strength, when we know that God is always there to help us, no matter what our trouble is, then we do not have to fear. The hurricane can come. The storms can come. We can have problems at home or at school or at work and we don't have to fear if we only are still and trust in God and His help in times of trouble.]
4. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
[There is not a river in Jerusalem. There are rivers in all the other major cities that we read about in the Bible -- Babylon, Damascus -- but there is no river in Jerusalem. Here God is referring to His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is a river of living water that wells up within us and restores our soul. Jesus said that if we drank from this river, from this living water, that we would never thirst. If we are still before God, if we trust in Him, then we will be refreshed with the living water that flows from Jesus.]
7. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8. Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.
10. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
[Here we see the second meaning of "Be still, and know that I am God." When I read this verse in context, verse 8 just leaped out at me. "Come and see the works of the Lord." God was telling me that I should be still, I should quit striving, I should quit trying to do things in my own strength, and know that He is God through the works that He would do. Too often, we try to do too much in our own strength. We wear ourselves out, not just at our secular jobs, but in our spiritual lives, trying to do God's work for Him.
Think about the revival we had this week. I spent more time preparing for this revival than any other. I prepared flyers and mailed them to all the Methodist churches in Lowndes County and in Homerville. I called several pastors and talked to others personally inviting them and their members to the revival. I made a lot of personal contacts, inviting people to church. I prayed and prayed that a lot of people would come. But on Monday night, I was seriously disappointed. We had a total turnout of 11 people, counting the revival preacher, his wife, and his guest.
But let me ask you a question. Let's say this sanctuary had been filled with people Monday night. Let's say there would have been standing room only. Who would have gotten the glory? I might have given God the glory with my lips, but in my heart I would have been lying. I would have claimed credit for the people coming. After all, it was I who made up and mailed the flyers and invited the people. I was trying to make a revival happen in my own strength.
God showing me that I was trying to make a revival on my own without Him. We can call them revivals but we cannot make it happen until we are still and know and trust that God is going to bring it about. This is what God was trying to show me in Psalm 46.
A lot of times in our lives and in our churches, we try to give God instructions. We come up with our plans and then say, "God bless it." We try to come up with ministry ideas on our own and implement them in our own strength. That's not the way God works. God wants us to be still and let Him work through us. He doesn't need us to work on our own. He wants us to surrender ourselves and trust in His strength.
As I was studying this, God showed me how others had done this. He pointed out to me that the Apostle Paul never saved a single person -- John Wesley never saved a single person -- Billy Graham has never saved a single person. God did it through the. Only God can save a person. Only God can accomplish ministry. We cannot do it on our own. God just wants us to be still and let Him do it through us.
In the Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren starts out, line number one, with the phrase: "It's not about us." And that's true in a couple of senses. Everything in the world should focus on God and not us. But it's also true when we consider ministry and God's work here on earth. It's not about us and what we are going to do for God. It's about God and what He is going to do through us. As it says in the Bible, "not by power nor by might but by My Spirit."

III. Closing
It's time for us to grow in Christ. It's time for us to be weaned -- to move from milk to meat.
This means we stop trying to do things on our own and let God work through us. Immature Christians think they have to do it all. Mature Christians surrender themselves and let God work through them.
Corrie Ten Boom relates story of paratrooper instructor in one of her books. After he got his men trained and ready for their mission, after he had his men in the plane and they were over the battlefield, he gave four commands. Our Lord gives us the same commands today.
First -- Attention! -- Lift up your eyes (John 4:35)
Second -- Stand in the door! -- Look upon the fields, for they are white already to harvest (John 4:35)
Third -- Hook up! -- Be ye filled with the Holy Spirit (John 20:22)
Fourth -- Follow me! -- I will make you fishers of men (Mark 1:17)
Corrie said in her book that it is not our task to give God instructions. We are to simply report for duty.
Someone once said, "you are not called to convince anyone -- you are simply called to be a channel for the Spirit of God to flow through -- you can never be anything else, even though you may think so at times -- follow the pathway of obedience, let the Word of God do its own work, and you will be used by God far beyond your powers"
Do you want to see God use you and use this church far beyond your powers? Then be still and know that He is God.
Let us pray

Why we are at war
(From an anonymous e-mail. This story may not be true, but the thought is valid.)

The other day, my nine year old son wanted to know why we were at war.
My husband looked at our son and then looked at me. My husband and I werein the Army during the Gulf War and we would be honored to serve and defend our country again today. I knew that my husband would give him a good explanation.
My husband thought for a few minutes and then told my son to go stand in our front living room window. He told him: "Son, stand there and tell me what you see?"
"I see trees and cars and our neighbors houses." he replied.
"OK, now I want you to pretend that our house and our yard is the United States of America and you are President Bush."
Our son giggled and said "OK."
"Now son, I want you to look out the window and pretend that every house and yard on this block is a different country" my husband said.
"OK Dad, I'm pretending."
"Now I want you to stand there and look out the window and see that man come out of his house with his wife and he has her by the hair and is hitting her. You see her bleeding and crying. He hits her in the face, he throws her on the ground, then he starts to kick her to death. Their children run out and are afraid to stop him, they are crying, they are watching this but do nothing because they are kids and afraid of their father.
You see all of this son.... what do you do?"
"Dad?"
"What do you do son?"
"I call the police, Dad."
"OK. Pretend that the police are the United Nations and they take your call, listen to what you know and saw but they refuse to help. What do you do then son?"
"Dad, but the police are supposed to help!" My son starts to whine.
"They don't want to son, because they say that it is not their place or your place to get involved and that you should stay out of it," my husband says.
"But Dad...he killed her!!" my son exclaims.
"I know he did...but the police tell you to stay out of it. Now I want you to look out that window and pretend you see our neighbor who you're pretending is Saddam turn around and do the same thing to his children."
"Daddy...he kills them?"
"Yes son, he does. What do you do?"
"Well, if the police don't want to help, I will go and ask my next door neighbor to help me stop him." our son says.
"Son, our next door neighbor sees what is happening and refuses to get involved as well. He refuses to open the door and help you stop him," my husband says.
"But Dad, I NEED help!!! I can't stop him by myself!!"
"WHAT DO YOU DO SON?"
Our son starts to cry.
"OK, no one wants to help you, the man across the street saw you ask for help and saw that no one would help you stop him. He stands taller and puffs out his chest. Guess what he does next son?"
"What Daddy?"
"He walks across the street to the old ladies house and breaks down her door and drags her out, steals all her stuff and sets her house on fire and then...he kills her. He turns around and sees you standing in he window and laughs at you. WHAT DO YOU DO?"
"Daddy..."
"WHAT DO YOU DO?"
Our son is crying and he looks down and he whispers, "I close the blinds,Daddy."
"My husband looks at our son with tears in his eyes and asks him... "Why?"
"Because Daddy.....the police are supposed to help...people who needs it....and they won't help....You always say that neighbors are supposed to HELP neighbors, but they won't help either...they won't help me stop him...I'm afraid....I can't do it by myself ..Daddy.....I can't look out my window and just watch him do all these terrible things and...and.....do nothing...so....I'm just going to close the blinds....so I can't see what he's doing........and I'm going to pretend that it is not happening."
I start to cry.
My husband looks at our nine year old son standing in the window, looking pitiful and ashamed at his answers to my husbands questions and he tells him....
"Son"
"Yes, Daddy."
"Open the blinds because that man.... he's at your front door..."WHAT DO YOU DO?"
My son looks at his father, anger and defiance in his eyes. He balls up his tiny fists and looks his father square in the eyes, without hesitation he says: "I DEFEND MY FAMILY DAD!! I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM HURTMOMMY OR MY SISTER, DAD!!! I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM, DAD, I'M GONNA FIGHT HIM!!!!!"
I see a tear roll down my husband's cheek and he grabs my son to his chest and hugs him tight, and cries..."It's too late to fight him, he's too strong and he's already at YOUR front door son.....you should have stopped him BEFORE he killed his wife. You have to do what's right, even if you have to do it alone, before......it's too late." my husband whispers.
THAT scenario I just gave you is WHY we are at war with Iraq. When good men stand by and let evil happen is the greatest EVIL of all. Our President is doing what is right. We, as a free nation, must understand that this war is a war of humanity. WE must remove evil men from power so that we can continue to live in a free world where we are not afraid to look out our window. So that my nine year old son won't grow up in a world where he feels that if he just "closes" that blinds the atrocities in the world won't affect him.
"YOU MUST NEVER BE AFRAID TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT! EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALONE!"
BE PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!
BE PROUD OF OUR PRESIDENT!
BE PROUD OF OUR TROOPS!!
SUPPORT THEM!!!
SUPPORT AMERICA!!
SO THAT IN THE FUTURE OUR CHILDREN WILL NEVER HAVE TO CLOSE THEIR BLINDS...."
"The liberty we prize is not American's gift to the world, it is God's gift to humanity." George W. Bush

A Brief History of Christianity From a Pagan

I ran across this posting on the internet. It is a fascinating op-ed piece on the history of Christianity (and I would say a "critique" of Christianity) by a person who described himself as a "dirty heathen."

This was a very interesting read. And actually, even though this guy is not a Christian and is trying to ridicule Christians (especially Pres. Bush) through this op-ed piece, he actually makes some valid points. There IS a difference between those who have a real living faith in God and those who merely claim a faith in God. The German theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoffer made similar points in his discussions on cheap grace.

I have copied and pasted his op-ed piece below, but if you want to access the article on the internet, click on the link here. Enjoy.

A brief(ish) history of Christianity (with poll)by ignatz1138
Tue Sep 21st, 2004 at 19:17:57 GMT
I've noticed a lot of consternation, both here and in among people I know, over Christianity and it's adherents on the far right. How can a president who lists Jesus as his favorite philosopher engage in a preemptive war? How can people who claim to know God personally spew such petty hate?

There ain't no easy answers folk, but I offer the possibility of a little insight. Read the extended entry and you might learn something about how we got here. At the very least, you might get some ammunition to really tick off the next winger who says they feel sorry for you because you're going to hell.

I'm going to start off with a few disclaimers. I've studied religion for most of my life, particularly Christianity. I've found that I personally don't share the core assumptions about humanity and it's place in the cosmos that are necessary for a belief in the Christian God (short version: I'm a dirty heathen). It's true, however, that this makes me sad. The Abrahamic traditions (the big three: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are the subtlest and beautiful spiritual and intellectual traditions I have ever seen. So, though I'm going to be fairly flip and cold blooded here, I mean no disrespect. If you're a person of faith, I envy you, and you should take little offense from me, knowing that I'm on a one-way track to hell. It might be Dante's Hades for the virtuous pagans, but it's still not the eternal bliss you folks get to look foreword too.

So.
In the beginning, there was a rain god. Yes, even the big G himself started out as a little g storm god. It's not surprising. Rain was incredibly important in the ancient world, and all cultures that I know of had a rain/storm god as their primary chief. The Yaweh/Jehova of the primitive Jews was just such a guy. There are still echoes of his stormy nature; one of his most famous early acts was to get in a snit and flood the entire planet. This was the sort of god you didn't want to mess with, the sort who's name was banned because to say it was to invoke him, and you didn't want to do that lightly. Today the god we know who most closely resembles this early Yahweh is Zeus, or Oden/Woden, if you're more Teutonicly inclined. This is a limited god. He's "all powerful" but he still acts like a human, getting mad, intervening in world affairs on a case-by-case basis, etc.

This early storm god often has a son. It's no different with Yahweh. Jesus, and here we get into the serious blasphemy, started out as a thinly veiled god of vegetation. Think about it. Every spring, we dip him in water, bury him in the ground, and wait for him to rise up. All primitive cultures have an analogue, a god you kill, sprinkle with water, and then plant, who grows up to be the new year of crops.

So, in the beginning, there was a storm god and his son, Corn. Then something cool happened. Christians like to pretend that they did it, but the Jewish mystics came up with it independently a little earlier. People started to say, "Wait a minute..." They realized they'd made three assumptions:

Jehovah is all-powerful.
Jehovah is all knowing.
Jehovah created the universe.

They realized that an all knowing, all-powerful god isn't a little g god like Zeus, he's a big G God. He doesn't interact with humans like a very very powerful magician king; he's the complete and total source of all being. To use a modern example, a little g god intervenes in a presidential election; a big G God knew from the instant of creation that GWB would be elected president. God knew everything that would ever happen, and designed the entire universe to work just that way. This is a tricky point, and when you get it, it's sort of an "Ah-ha!" Big G God doesn't just perform miracles; the entire universe is a continuous miracle unfolding in every detail in perfect concert with God's will. This God you don't call by name either, but it's not because you're afraid to piss Him off, it's because you realize He's just too big to contain with a name. Jesus becomes so rich and complicated that you could happily spend your entire life thinking about His relationship to you and God, and many people do.

The next big thing came when the Protestants started thinking about the implications of God's complete omnipotence. If God is responsibly for everything, he's responsible for evil, as well as good. He created people he knew he would eventually damn. The point of Lutheranism and Calvinism is to have so much faith in God, that you love him, knowing full well he could damn you, and he'd be right to do so. Personally, I think that's beautiful, but it freaks most people out, which is why almost everyone in the Christian world rejects this idea of God as too weird and complicated and scary, and worships Zeus instead.

Ok, so there are two basic ideas of Jehovah. We've got G-d (as the Jews sensibly call Him) and we've got Zeus. Most everybody feels more comfortable with Zeus, since he's more like us. Protestants founded this country in the Lutheran/Calvinist vein though, and they kept up the total faith in G-d's righteousness and power, even while they rejected the idea that He could or would damn believers. The result is faith in their own election and certainty that whatever they do is G-d's will.

Sound like anyone we know?

Belief in Zeus as opposed to G-d also causes problems with science. G-d doesn't have a problem with science. He's bigger than science. It stands to reason that a universe created by some sort of vast intelligence would be comprehensible. In the middle ages, scholars who believed in G-d devoted their lives to exploring the natural world as a means to understand G-d, until they eventually ran afoul of authorities that worshipped Zeus. Zeus does a have a problem with science. Whereas G-d encompasses the natural world, controlling every aspect of it at the moment of creation, Zeus is a guy who intervenes in the natural world when it suits him. When we go about defining laws that rule nature, we put Zeus in a box. This is why people say science denies miracles. If the Earth revolves around the sun, Zeus couldn't make the sun reverse its course in the sky, like it says he did in the Bible. People who worship Zeus tend to be afraid of science because science limits Zeus's power.

Sound like anyone we know?

Good and evil are also much easier to understand when you worship Zeus. If you believe in G-d, you have to accept that G-d is the source of evil as well as good. Satan isn't G-d's equal. In fact, he's acted exactly as G-d wanted him to. There's a whole branch of theology, "theodicy," devoted to understanding how G-d, who is by definition good, can be responsible for evil. When you're all powerful, you get to encompass contradictions like that, no sweat. Zeus, on the other hand, brings us a cosmic struggle. Zeus could be caught by surprise by a rebellious angel. Satan can cause problems for Zeus, tempting people, thwarting his plans, and making people like Hitler and Osama do bad things. People who worship Zeus tend to worry a lot about Satan and his evil plans, and they tend to think of themselves as God's warriors, fighting the good fight, lest evil overwhelm the world and cause Zeus to let loose with another big 40 day rainstorm. And remember, since they're righteous followers of God, they can't do any wrong, and since you're not, you can't do any right.

Sound like anyone we know?

This diary is super long, but hopefully it can offer some insight. And if it doesn't do that, the next time someone tells you you're going to hell because you don't worship the same way he does (or gasp at all!), you can tell him he worships Zeus and his Corn God son.

Dealing with Difficult People

How well do you deal with the difficult people in your life? You know the ones -- the ones who just set your teeth on edge and make your hair stand up. They may be part of your family -- they may be friends -- or they may just be strangers you meet in the course of a day. Regardless, we all know difficult people.

When we encounter such people, usually we think, "Why won't that person change? Why can't that person change their behavior, personality, etc.?" But one biblical principle stands true. We cannot change another person. It is for that reason that we should never look to another person for happiness or contentment. Other people cannot please us. It is a fact.

But, there is another biblical principle that we need to keep in mind. Only the Holy Spirit has the ability to effect true change in a person, whether we are talking about the difficult people in our life or ourselves. When we realize that the only person, then, who can really change in a situation is ourself, then we can pray that the Holy Spirit changes us to help make the situation better. Also, we can quit trying to "fix" the other person and pray that God will work in their lives as He knows best.

I ran across a prayer the other day that will help us in praying for these difficult people in our lives. Hopefully, through this prayer, the Holy Spirit will effect change in us and in the other person as well.

"Lord, I am not in control of this person. I have tried everything and it's not working. I can't fix this other person. But I know that I do have control over my own heart and how I act and react. Please reveal to me those places in my heart where I need to get right with you. Change my heart and rebuild those places where I have fallen short. Lord, give me your eyes so that I can see this person as you see them. Give me your heart, so I can begin loving this person as you love them. And please forgive me for those times I have fallen short and have been selfish. Please help me to be the person you have called me to be. In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen."

Rediscovering John the Baptist

Earlier this year, archeologists in Israel reported that they had discovered a cave where John the Baptist dwelled and baptized believers. The basis of their belief was drawings of a figure by early monks that resembles the biblical description of John the Baptist and the discovery of a baptismal font with steps leading into the basin and a specially carved stone for the symbolic washing or anointing of the feet.

This discovery has sparked a new interest in rediscovering the truth about John the Baptist and his mission. Along these lines, John Zukowski has written a great article about John the Baptist that is worth reading. You can access the article by clicking on the link here.

Cultural Interpretations

When we step back and look at the culture as a whole, we see an interesting picture start to develop. For years, the religious community has complained about liberal theologians and scholar who are re-interpreting the Bible based on current cultural norms. For instance, we see this type of re-interpretation in the area of same-sex marriages. While homoerotic behavior has been condemned by the church for almost 2,000 years (and seemingly backed up by clear scriptural passages), some liberal theologians and scholars are saying that these passages should be interpreted based on what is acceptable in our culture today. In other words, these passages may have been true during the days of the biblical writers, but they are not true now because our society now has new understandings of homoerotic behavior and are more accepting of same-sex marriages. With this type of interpretation, then, you allow the culture to shape the Scripture. Scripture is not a static command from God but a dynamic piece of literature that can be applied as befits our current times.

A recent editorial in World Magazine by Gene Edward Veith, "Liberal oligarchs," makes much the same case in regards to the activist judges who are present throughout our judicial system. In the minds of these liberal justices, "a law has no objective, permanently fixed meaning, and so interpretation means constructing a meaning." Laws should only be applied after considering what the culture and the current society wants.

Conservatives, both conservative jurists and conservative religionists, disagree with this type of cultural intepretation and application. Laws, like scripture, were written with a permanently fixed meaning. We are "not supposed to impose [our] own values or beliefs and rewrite the law [or scripture] accordingly." (Bracketed statements my own addition).

This is one reason why we must stand up during times like this to make our case known. Whether we are talking about influencing elections through our constitutionally given right to vote on issues important to us or shaping the direction our churches and our denominations are headed, we need to keep pressing on to stand against the relativism trend. Truth is truth.

A rose by any other name?

According to an article by Sarah Price in "The Age", the church is the last image that should be used by Christians to attract followers to God. It turns out that the image of the church is negative in the mind of most non-Christians, and it turns them away from the positive aspects of Christianity. You can read her article by clicking here.

This article brings up a major point. Has our concept of a church strayed from Christ's concept? Has the church evolved into an organization that fails to meet the Biblical mandate that our founder gave us? I have always been intrigued by the fact that the first time Jesus came, He spent most of His time ministering to those outside the church, bypassing the hypocrites and legalists that filled the temple and used it for their own purposes. What would Jesus do if He came back today? Would He find the same spirit of hypocrisy and legalism alive and well in our churches, or would He find a living and vibrant body actively reaching out and engaging the culture around us?

Mixed Decisions on Ownership of Church Property

Despite the story below, there are mixed decisions on who owns the property used by local UMC congregations.

For more information on a case where the local church retained full ownership of the church property and assets over the denomination, click here.

So, Who Owns the Sanctuary?
[Excerpted from an article by Kathleen K. Rutledge, Christianity Today, September 2004]

NOTE: I thought this article was of interest to United Methodists in regards to property rights as we look at a possible amicable separation from other UMC interests.

"When Vaughn Tuttle and 70 other members of Gove UMC voted to leave the denomination in May 2003, they did not anticipate the fallout, especially when it came to church property. 'The church as a whole has just gotten liberal on a lot of conservative issues,' Tuttle says, 'like homosexuals in the pulpit.' But homosexuality wasn't the primary concern. He was alarmed when Tibetan chants and Baha'i prayer bells were used in worship. 'Sometimes you gotta just set your foot down and say, 'This isn't right.''

At the United Methodist Church in Gove, there was not $10 million in real estate at stake, but generations of interfamily relationships in jeopardy.

'This is a county of less than 3,000 persons and most of these people are related to one another by blood or marriage or long-standing friendships,' Pat Ault-Duell, administrative head of the Kansas West Conference, said in a written statement. The schism caused 'very deep hurts and a large sense of betrayal.'

On May 25, two weeks after the majority faction elected to leave the denomination, furthering severing occurred when denominational leaders showed up unannounced to conduct Sunday worship. Though the group of 70 had voted to leave the national church, it continued to use the church facility for worship.

'The members of the splinter group were free to leave the denomination,' Ault-Duell said, 'but they were not free to take property built for and used by the United Methodist Church."

The Methodist Book of Discipline states that all properties accumulated in the name of the UMC are to be held in trust for use by the denomination.

An argument ensued -- and Ault-Duell called the remaining members to the parking lot for an ad hoc worship service.

On that day families were divided, Vaughn Tuttle recalls. Children elected to leave the UMC, while parents and grandparents stayed with the denomination. 'My son's girlfriend, her family left,' Tuttle says, 'Her grandmother came over and said, 'Hey, are you going with us?' and she said, 'No.'"

Six weeks later, the Kansas West Conference froze the assets of the local church, saying the Gove church was subject to the denomination's trust clause.

Paul Woodall, presiding pastor of Gove UMC when the body elected to split, says he did not think the trust clause applied to the church because the phrase was not in the deed. Likewise, Woodall says, the congregation believed the trust relationship described in the Book of Discipline referred to a mutual obligation to uphold both church doctrine and church law.

Bishop Fritz Mutti, who supervises the South Central Jurisdiction, which incorporates eight states including Kansas, denies charges of doctrinal unfaithfulness. Pastors and denominational leaders are expected to agree to Methodist doctrinal standards when they are ordained, he says, conceding that 'it doesn't mean everybody talks about theology in the same way.'

In regards to property disputes, however, Mutti said the church law is clear. 'The property is held in trust for the trustees of the United Methodist Church.'

After several months of legal exchanges, the two sides agreed to mediate the assets of Gove UMC last December. In the settlement, which was finalized in February, the conference received full title to the property, and the Gove splinter gropu agreed to turn over the church's assets -- $50,000 in cash and certificates of deposit, and architectural drawings. All the cash, under the agreement, will be donated to a Methodist youth camp in a neighboring town.'

PROTESTANTS LOSING MAJORITY, STUDY SUGGESTS
By Chris Herlinger *

A long-standing feature of U.S. religious life - a Protestant majority -may become a thing of the past, a new survey has concluded.
"Since colonial times the United States has been a Protestant nation.But perhaps as early as this year (2004), the country will for the firsttime no longer have a Protestant majority," the survey by the NationalOpinion Research Center, based at the University of Chicago, found.
The number of those identifying themselves as Protestant, alreadydeclining in recent years, is expected to drop below 50 percent if presenttrends continue. The survey results were announced on July 20. AProtestant majority may have already vanished in the two years since thesurvey was conducted.
Church groups covered by the term Protestant include Anglican,Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Quakerdenominations.
"The recent Protestant decline comes in large part from the loss ofyounger adherents and a related drop in the retention rate," the surveystated. It added that a number of factors "indicate that the Protestantshare of the population will continue to shrink and they will soon losetheir majority position in American society."
The survey of more than 2,650 respondents in 2002 found the number ofthose identifying themselves as Protestant dropped from 63 percent to 52percent between 1993 and 2002. At the same time, those saying they had noformal religious ties or identification increased from 9 percent to nearly14 percent.
Other factors cited in the study for the decline of Protestantidentification included increased numbers of immigrants from non-Protestantcountries and the fact that fewer people in the United States are beingraised as Protestants.
The so-called "retention rate" for Protestants has also been dropping.From 1973 up to 1993, nine out of 10 Protestants raised in a Protestanthome remained Protestant; however, now less than83 percent remain Protestant as adults.
Although Protestants have been a majority in the United States, RomanCatholics have constituted the nation's biggest single denominationalaffiliation.
The report can be found at http://www.norc.uchicago.edu/issues/PROTSGO8.pdf . *Ecumenical News International distributed this article.

SOCIAL JUSTICE
5 September 2004

-- turn in Bibles to James 2 -- while doing that, let me share with you a story that was sent to me on the internet

-- one day in class, this student asked their teacher "Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?" -- as everyone laughed, the teacher held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at the student who asked that question for a long time, trying to see if they were serious
-- he said, "I will answer your question."
-- Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. And what he said went like this:
-- "When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was notpossible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone I made it round. And I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I couldfind.
-- I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light -- truth, understanding, and knowledge is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it.
-- I am a fragment of a mirror whose design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world into the black places in the hearts of men and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life."
-- After he said all of this, he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught thebright rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them onto the student's face and then onto their hands folded on the desk.

-- this morning, I want to finish us our series on the basics of Christian doctrine and what makes a Methodist different from the other denominations -- I haven't been able to cover all the doctrines and all the unique Methodist slants in this series, but we have covered original sin -- justification by faith through grace -- sanctification -- being a disciple of Christ
-- in those sermons we touched on how the Methodists emphasize God's grace -- including grace poured out before we were saved -- prevenient grace -- the grace that saves us -- justifying grace -- and the grace that sanctifies us -- sanctifying grace
-- this morning we are going to touch on one of the other key components of Methodism -- social justice -- what is social justice? -- well, according to our book of Discipline, social justice is simply taking care of people -- standing up for their rights and helping to meet their needs
-- this may be as simple as helping the poor pay their bills or as complex as speaking for the rights of unborn children and fighting embryonic stem cell research
-- it runs the gambit from helping alcoholics and drug users get help to bringing food and clothing to the needy
-- basically, social justice means that we turn ourselves into mirrors of Christ's love -- reflecting His love and His light on all people -- bringing light into the darkness of this world as well as the darkness of men's souls -- meeting not only their spiritual needs but their physical needs as well
-- social justice is sustaining and renewing God's creation -- defending the created institutions of family and society -- protecting the widows and the orphans and the poor -- and critiquing false worldviews

-- and this is where the Methodists differ from a lot of other denominations -- we put social justice on an equal level with evangelism -- there must be both -- they go hand in hand -- and we understand that the best way to reach people is to meet them where they are -- to help them to see Jesus in a real and tangible way -- then, they will be led to invite Him into their hearts
-- some denominations err on either one side or the other -- the Baptists tend to focus more on evangelism and less on social justice -- other denominations focus on social justice to the extent that evangelism suffers
-- a truly functioning Methodist church seeks to balance the two
-- Chuck Colson made the same point in a recent editorial -- he pointed out "of course we're called to fulfill the Great commission but we're also called to fulfill the cultural commission"
-- this is a biblical mandate -- Jesus' life exemplified this understanding -- this balance between the spiritual and the physical -- how many times do we see Him in scriptures meeting the physical needs of a person first and then touching their hearts with His presence --

-- this passage in James 2 speaks to it as clear as any passage in the Bible -- look with me now at James 2:14

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?"

-- in this verse, James is not talking about salvation -- he is not trying to make the case that you are saved by works -- instead, he is trying to make the case that we can't live on cheap grace -- a false faith -- a "feel good" religion that does nothing to reach out to those in need in God's world
-- we are saved by grace through faith -- but our faith is evidenced by our works
-- James is talking about giving our faith legs -- this passage is a call to active ministry in Christ's name -- caring for the poor and the widows and the orphans -- standing up for justice for those subjected to injustice -- President Bush called this "compassionate conservatism" -- we call it showing the love of Christ in a tangible and real way

[Read James 2:15-17]
15. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
16. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
17. In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

-- we need to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of those around us -- we need to help the poor and the oppressed and the widowed and the orphans -- we need to stand up and speak for those with no voice -- we need to be the voice of one calling in the wilderness of this world proclaiming justice in the streets and taking care of those deemed not worthy by the world
-- good wishes and prayers are worthless if we don't follow them up with physical action by meeting their needs -- James says here, "what good is it" -- implying that it is no good at all
-- James says that if you really want to show the love of Christ in you, you will be more concerned about outward acts of love and compassion then just a mere profession that you are a Christian.
-- he calls us to reach out to the needy around us and meet both their physical and their spiritual needs
-- who are the needy in our society? -- poor -- widows -- orphans -- senior citizens -- single parents -- unborn children -- those with AIDS and other diseases
-- who is responsible for taking care of these people -- in our country we have bought into the lie that the Government should take care of the people -- that is not true -- the Bible makes it clear that it is our responsibility, as Christians, to take care of all of God's people, whether they are saved or not
-- as our Social Creed points out, every person is created in the image of God and is precious in His sight -- every unborn baby is created in the image of God and is precious in His sight -- we have to be Christ's hands and feet and voice in this world to stand up and take care of those who are hurting or who are in need

-- look back at James 1:27 [Read James 1:27]
27. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

-- last week David Scott -- "how can anyone look at this and doubt there is a God?" -- he pointed out that our relationships to others -- especially our relationships to those who are not saved -- to those deemed unacceptable by the world -- tells more about our relationship with God than our presence here on Sunday morning
-- faith without works is dead -- it is no faith at all -- we must put our faith into action by looking after orphans and widows and all those in distress -- all those in need -- hurricane victims -- unborn children -- those suffering from sickness and disease, even AIDS patients
-- in this verse James seems to indicate that if we don't do that -- if we don't take care of them and let Christ's love reflect in us to them -- that we are in danger of being polluted by the world
-- "let the Government take care of them" -- no, let God's people take care of them
-- Mother Teresa in Calcutta taking care of the untouchables -- the lower caste people no one would touch, much less care for -- we are called to reach out to the outcasts -- to the needy in society -- and show them the love of Christ
-- as Max Lucado points out, in Scripture the leper was symbolic of the ultimate outcast -- infected by a condition he did not seek -- rejected by those he knew -- avoided by people he did not know - condemned to a future he could not bear
-- but these were the very ones whom our Lord turned to in His ministry -- Jesus didn't just heal these lepers -- He loved them -- He met them where they were and hugged them and loved them -- He fed them spiritually and then He healed them physically
-- we are called to reflect His light and His love by feeding God's people spiritually and by healing them physically -- by meeting their needs where they are -- by offering them a hand when no one else will
-- great example of this this weekend with the hurricane relief and response to refugees -- why does it take a disaster for us to respond? -- after ever disaster our hearts pore out with care for those in need -- hurricane victims -- tornado victims -- 911 victims
-- what will it take for us to do this on a daily basis -- in our daily lives -- to everyone we meet
-- we shouldn't worry about whether someone is trying to take advantage of us -- whether they are just trying to rip us off -- that's not our concern
-- when Senator Mark Hatfield was visiting Mother Teresa, he was overcome with the sheer magnitude of the poverty and disease and grief that she was working in -- he asked her how she could do this day after day after day and still have hope when there was no end to the suffering -- she said, "I wasn't called to be successful -- I was called to be faithful"
-- we are called to be faithful in showing God's love to others in tangible and real ways -- it's not our job to judge them and to decide if they are worthy of God's love -- it's just our job to be faithful and to give them what they need
-- think about it this way -- everything you have is from God anyway -- God knows where it is going -- and I trust that He can work in the life of any person, no matter how bad they are

-- Josh Claybourne, a blogger on the internet, told the story of the time he went to Walmart to pick up some supplies -- he wasn't dressed real well because he had been working around the house -- as he went into the parking lot, this man acted like he was going to flag him down -- Josh said he was a little wary because it was not a good part of time and he didn't know what the man's intentions were -- was he going to try to rob him? -- ask for money? -- what?

-- when he got out of his car, the man asked him for money -- he said, "I'm broken down and need gas -- can you give me some money?" -- Josh said he looked around and couldn't see a car anywhere that looked like it belonged to this man

-- he said he usually didn't give people money, but in this case he felt like God was leading him to do it -- so he reached in his pocket and only had a few dollars -- he looked the man in the eye -- gave him the money -- and hugged him and said "God loves you" -- he then went into Walmart without looking back

-- when he came back out, the man was sitting by Josh's car -- Josh said he got a little concerned -- was the man going to ask for more money? -- was he going to try to rob him? -- take his car? -- what?

-- when he got to his car, the man looked up and Josh saw he was crying -- the man stood up, gave Josh his money back, and walked off without saying a word -- was he trying to rip him off? -- Josh will never know -- but the fact is, God can work in any situation

-- I want to close with a verse from Micah 6:8, "what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
-- God requires us to get involved in social justice -- God is making us responsible for the needs of those around us
-- The bible makes it clear that it is the church's responsibility to care for its poor -- as a NAE statement points out, "God measures societies by how they treat the people at the bottom"
-- in an article about General Conference, Donald Messer said "we prayed that the Holy Spirit would yet find a way to move United Methodism from indifference to involvement, from words about money to works of mercy"
-- God is calling you today from a dead faith to a live faith -- from indifference to involvement -- from words to works
-- will you answer His call?
-- Let us pray

Blogging Again!

To the one or two of you who actually read this blog occasionally, just to let you know that I am back online as of today. We'll try to get some regular updates at least three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday).

Big news today is the hurricane evacuation from Hurricane Frances. While we are not under any immediate threat, we are being impacted by those fleeing the storms. Shelters have been set up at most local churches and government buildings. Moody AFB has opened up the gym for both travelers and their pets. Wild Adventures and Spence Field are allowing free parking for RVs.

If you happen to see a visitor in need, please reach out to them and show them the love of Christ in a real and tangible way this weekend.